My grandfather’s grandfather, Heikki Hermanni Kuoksa (originally known as Heikki Hermanni Haavikko, often referenced as Posion äijä), was quite a character, a perfect example of Finnish sisu at its best.
The life in the 19th century Finland was hard in general but especially so in the wilderness of Lapland, beyond the Arctic Circle. The danger of dying of hunger, cold or diseases was always present. Life was constant struggle and one had to use the short summer periods of sunlight and reasonable warmth to prepare for the long and dark winters which lasted more than half of the year.
Heikki Hermanni was born in 1850. From the early ages he was used to physical labor and making his own living.
Heikki Hermanni was always one with the nature, he was an enthusiastic hunter and fisher. In the early 1920’s deeply religious Heikki Hermanni told to a reporter that during his life he had killed “around forty bears, 36 wolverines and a countless number of lynxes, otters, weasels, squirrels and birds”.
In the early 1900s Heikki Hermanni started a project which was probably considered as madness by most of the people, including his own family. In order to obtain more fertile land for the family’s agricultural projects, he decided to dry a 100-hectare lake called Alakiiskijärvi. In practice this meant digging a (more than one-kilometer long) river from Alakiiskijärvi to Perunkajärvi through a deep forest by hand. Heikki Hermanni started this project alone and his sons joined the project later. This exercise which would not be trivial even with today’s machinery proved to be extremely beneficial for the well-being of the future generations.
Why am I telling you all this? Because I find the attributes of Heikki Hermanni so admirable that I decided to name my son after him: Niklas Heikki Hermanni Aurala. Nomen est omen, I hope.
Thanks to Jorma Tapio and Haavikon sukuseura for publishing the image and Finnish text I’m quoting here.
